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Spanish Prime Minister Calls Catalan Draft Bill on Independence 'Blackmail'

© REUTERS / Sergio PerezSpain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gestures during a news conference at his ruling People's Party's (PP) headquarters in Madrid, Spain May 22, 2017
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gestures during a news conference at his ruling People's Party's (PP) headquarters in Madrid, Spain May 22, 2017 - Sputnik International
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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called a law on independence, allegedly developed by Spanish authorities "blackmailing the state, democracy and the Spanish people."

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MADRID (Sputnik) — The Catalan government is blackmailing Spain and its people, as well as principles of democracy, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Monday, referring to media reports about Catalan authorities drafting a law on independence.

Earlier in the day, El Pais newspaper reported that Catalan authorities had developed a mechanism they would use in the process of secession from Spain, regardless of whether or not a referendum on independence would be held. The so-called Law of Transition is set to replace the constitution for two months, during which time the Catalan parliament will begin the establishment of the Catalan Republic.

"They are blackmailing the state, democracy and the Spanish people. We do not accept it," Rajoy said at a press conference, adding that it was the most serious issue he had ever encountered during his political career.

The Spanish prime minister added that a proposal to discuss the Catalan issue in the Congress of Deputies, which was announced by the government last week, remained in force.

"What was published is a blackmail, Spain had not seen it for ages. It is destruction of the legal state, it means elimination of the law, of 500 years of national sovereignty, it means saying to the Spanish people that national sovereignty does not exist," Rajoy added.

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Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont is expected to deliver a speech in Madrid later on Monday, during which he will call on the Spanish government to reach an agreement about the referendum. Earlier in May, local media reported that Puigdemont would announce the date of the independence referendum this week, and that it would likely be scheduled for October 1.

In September 2016, Puigdemont pledged to look for an agreement on independence from Spain. Shortly afterwards, the Catalan parliament voted in favor of two resolutions: one which called on the regional government to hold an independence referendum in the fall of 2017, and a second which aimed at coordinating the autonomous community's conduct with the central Spanish authorities.

In March, Catalonia approved a draft budget which included an allocation of 5.8 million euros ($6.2 million) toward preparations for the independence referendum this year. The Spanish government decided to challenge the budget and launched a probe into the actions of the Generalitat, Catalina's government.

On November 9, 2014, about 80 percent of the Catalans who took part in a non-binding referendum on the region's status as part of Spain voted in favor of Catalonia becoming an independent state. Madrid has declared the referendum unconstitutional.

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